


what's meant to be will always find a way

by swansandqueens



Series: songs make the best oneshots [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 17:32:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17228306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swansandqueens/pseuds/swansandqueens
Summary: oneshot based on the song she's in love with the boy by trisha yearwood





	what's meant to be will always find a way

It’s 5 pm on a Friday night when Regina decides she can't take being stuck inside of her house anymore. Throwing on the closest pair of shoes, an older pair of sneakers that her mother had been begging her to get rid of, she made her way outside. Realizing she hadn't exactly planned what she was going to do once she made it out, she sat down on the porch swing, taking a moment to breathe in the cool, fresh air.

 

There was never much to do in Storybrooke, a small coastal town in Maine with a population of only a couple thousand citizens, most of which happened to be in their 40 to 60s. Most of the younger adults around her age spent their time down at the local diner, Granny's, or laying out the beach. 

 

Sighing, she was about to get up and go on an evening walk when she spotted a truck coming down her long driveway. As it got closer, she saw a flash of golden hair in the driver's seat and she felt the happiness coursing through her veins. Nothing made her as happy as spending time with her girlfriend Emma did.

 

When Emma saw her standing at the edge of the steps, she began blaring the horn and whipping the old beat up Chevy through the mud. Trying to contain her laughter and feign anger as Emma pulled up, Regina swung open the passenger side door. 

 

“Emma Swan! Stop it, you'll make mother angry!” Regina half yelled and half sighed out, just barely concealing her joy at the prospect. 

 

“Babe, that was the point. Besides, I saw you laughing.” Emma said with a smirk firmly planted on her face. 

 

Regina's father didn't mind Emma, he actually quite enjoyed her company as they would go on fishing trips together every now and then and then finish their adventure with a game of chess while Regina and her mother would cook the fish they had caught.

 

Her mother, however, was a different story. She was a woman who firmly believed in keeping up appearances and was always kind to Emma, refusing to be a terrible host, but once Emma had left, the truth would always come out. She wasn't afraid to voice to Regina how much she thought she could do better. She was always saying that she was with someone  _ beneath  _ her, as she loved to phrase it. Regina couldn't count how many times she was told she could find someone smarter, someone classier, someone with more money, someone who's a man. Although Cora always made sure to include that the last wasn't because she was homophobic, she just wanted grandchildren.  Regina never bothered arguing the fact that she could still have children because she didn't care about any of that. All she cared about was Emma, and she was determined to marry her and if her mother wouldn't approve, they'd just run away. 

 

“I borrowed dad's truck for the night, hop in.” Emma said after a moment, interrupting Regina from her thoughts. After climbing in, she turned to Emma and offered her a kiss. 

 

“Where are we going?” Regina asked as they pulled away from the house, barely registering the shout of 'don’t stay out too late’ echoing from the front door. 

 

“You'll see.” she said, turning away from her, very confused, girlfriend. 

 

They arrived shortly after to the drive-in movie theater, which was less like those you see in the movies and more so just a huge projector down at the pier that they'd use to direct a few movies onto the local cannery's wall every other Friday. Some people would drive down and park in the large empty lot next to it, but most would go out on their boats and tie them down to the docks and watch from there. 

 

Tonight's first movie was Jaws, a classic, that they played way too often but the people out on the boats always got a kick out of it. It was usually a really fun time. It was mostly just the younger people that would show up, and they'd bring plenty of alcohol, which almost always ended in the local sheriff, who happened to be Emma's dad, being called by the end of the second movie. 

 

Emma parked them in the very last row, and hopped out the truck, heading around to the back as Regina followed. She watched as Emma took three large blankets from the back seat and laid them out across the bed of the truck, followed by her adding some pillows and motioning for Regina to hop in. 

 

As she did, Emma disappeared once more to the back seat and came back with another large blanket and a few beers for the two of them to drink as they watched. Taking one and offering her thanks, she tried to twist the top off but it wouldn't budge. 

 

“Do I look like I can pry it open with my teeth?" Regina joked, handing the bottle back to Emma. Laughing, she used her keychain to pop the top off of the ice cold Bud Light. 

 

“Of course not, you're far too refined for that. I thought they were twist-offs, I'm sorry.” She said as she handed the bottle back to Regina, who had been waiting patiently as Emma struggled to line her bottle opener up. 

 

They hardly paid any attention to jaws, too busy cuddling and laughing at nothing while they finished their drinks, Emma only having one, knowing she had to drive and needed a clear mind for what she planned to do that night. As the movie wrapped up, Emma began packing everything away. 

 

“We're not staying for the second?” Regina asked, the confusion evident in her voice. "Usually we don't leave until your dad gets here.”

 

“I thought we could go get some ice cream. Is that okay with you?” Emma asked, hoping she'd say yes as it was important to her plan. 

 

“Oh, yeah. I could go for some rocky road, to be honest.” She answered while helping shove the remaining blankets into the backseat, both girls not wanting to waste any time they had together with something like folding. 

 

When they arrived at Any Given Sundae, Emma was shaking with nerves. Walking up to the counter, she let Regina order for them and waited for the sign that Ingrid, the shop's owner, had remembered her plan. She had gone over it with her right before she went to pick up Regina, but the anxiety was beginning to build and she could feel the nerves settling in. 

 

“You girls go take a seat, I'll bring it to you.” Ingrid stated as she subtly offered a wink to Emma so Regina wouldn't notice. Emma took her by the hand and led them over to a booth close enough to the counter that way Ingrid would be able to hear them. 

 

“Regina,” Emma said, trying to hide the shaking in her voice as she leaned over and clasped her hand over her girlfriend's, sticking the other in the pocket of her hoodie to stop it from trembling. When Regina glanced up and locked eyes with her, giving her the most loving look Emma had ever seen, she found all the courage she needed to continue. 

 

“You are the most beautiful woman I've ever met, both inside and out, and you make me happier than I could ever put into words, but I'm going to try. These last four years with you have been the best of my life. Growing up in and out of foster homes, I never knew love. I never thought I deserved it or that I'd experience it. And then I got, like, super fucking lucky and was adopted by Mary Margaret and David, and they showed me I was deserving of it and that I could love and be loved. And then I started high school in this middle of nowhere town and I met you, and you taught me a whole new type of love that I thought couldn't exist outside of fairy tales and movies. I know we're only 18, and we have our whole lives in front of us, and there's no one else that I'd rather spend it with,” she choked the ending out while fighting off tears as Ingrid placed their ice cream in front of them, smartphone in hand still recording the whole thing. 

 

Regina glanced away from Emma to look down at her bowl, noticing Emma's high school ring placed at the bottom of an empty bowl surrounded by a heart drawn in chocolate sauce. She looked back up and saw Emma bent on one knee in front of her. 

 

Reaching in and taking the ring, Emma reached out for Regina's hand. 

 

“Regina Mills, you are the light of my life, my sun, and stars, and I love you with every ounce of my being. Would you do me the honor of marrying me?” She asked with such hope, her green eyes sparkling under the fluorescent lights, that Regina couldn't stop the tears as she pulled Emma up to her and into the tightest hug she could manage as she nodded her head and choked out the softest yes either had ever heard. 

 

As she pulled away, and between kisses, she promised eventually she'd buy her a wedding ring but her high school ring would have to do for now. 

 

“It's perfect. You're perfect.” Regina assured her and Ingrid finally brought her the rocky road she initially ordered. They stayed until Ingrid had to close up at midnight, reminiscing about their time together over the last four years and everything they planned to do in their future. 

 

Walking up the steps to Regina's house, Regina leaned in to kiss her fiancé bye when the door swung open, blinding them temporarily from the bright contrast of light from the house. 

 

“Regina Mills, do you know what time it is?” Cora yelled before glancing down and noticing the new addition on her daughter's ring finger. “Go to your room. I need to have a talk with Miss Swan.” 

 

“I know you don't like me Mrs. Mills, but I love your daughter with all my heart.” Emma said, hardly able to control the stutter in her voice and she tried to push every ounce of love she felt for Regina into her words to make the older woman understand, but Cora just scoffed at the word love while rolling her eyes. 

 

“Darling,” Henry, Regina's dad, said while stepping up to stand next to his daughter but never taking his eyes off of his wife, “don't lose your temper.”

 

“Henry, our daughter is  _ engaged _ to this…  _ person _ . What do you mean don't lose my temper?” Cora asked in disbelief while staring at her husband incredulously. 

 

“It wasn’t long ago that you yourself were nothing more than a miller’s daughter. My father hated you. He thought you weren't going to be good enough for me, but he was wrong and honey you are too. Regina looks at Emma like I still look at you.” 

 

What he said must've gotten through to her because Cora’s face softened instantly as she turned back to her daughter, realizing her husband was right. 

 

“It seems my husband has a point, Miss Swan. I mean.. Emma. I haven't been fair to you, and I'm sorry.” She said calmly now. Regina was shocked. Her mother did a lot of things, but apologize was never one of them. 

 

“It's okay, Mrs. Mills. I understand. You just want what's best for Regina. I can relate to that.” Emma supplied, smiling at her girlfriend and her mother. 

 

“It's late," Henry stated, “why don't you come back over tomorrow? We'll play a few rounds of chess.”

 

“Yes, come over tomorrow. It seems we have a wedding to plan.” Cora said grinning. 

 

They went on to have a beautiful wedding and a long life of happiness for everyone, even for Cora, who finally got a grandchild, a young boy they named Henry that they had adopted after five years of marriage. 

 

Life ended up pretty great for the Swan-Mills family. 


End file.
